Different types of movement apparatuses are known, used for temporarily storing and moving articles in order to make them selectively removable by an operator or other person from a desired position.
A movement apparatus is known, for example from document WO-A-2015/008173, integrated in a shelf possibly of a furnishing element, which comprises a conveyor member.
By way of non-restrictive example, by shelf we mean an element of a wardrobe or other furnishing element or it can be an element that can be inserted in a wall or the actual wall itself.
The conveyor member has a substantially closed-ring configuration and is provided with a plurality of through apertures, hooks or other configurations suitable to attach garments or other.
The shelf is provided with a guide cavity in which the conveyor member is at least partly positioned, and protrudes with a portion thereof through an aperture defined by the guide cavity.
The guide cavity defines a movement path for the conveyor member along which it is moved by a drive unit.
The drive unit, usually comprising a drive wheel acting on the conveyor member, cooperates with the guide cavity and, in the known solution described above, is installed in direct correspondence with the aperture of the guide cavity.
Although the aperture of the guide cavity, for example as described in WO-A-2015/008173, can have a rather limited width size, to define a protection for the drive unit, this aperture must be wide enough to facilitate the sliding of the conveyor member in the guide cavity.
The size of the aperture therefore does not prevent or exclude a user from accidentally inserting his/her fingers therein, even only partly, and thus being hurt quite seriously by the action of the drive wheel on the drive unit.
This solution is particularly dangerous since it disposes the moving parts of the drive unit in a position directly accessible for the operator, but also other persons, for example children who voluntarily or not can easily come into contact with the moving parts.
Another problem of this known solution is that, when an article has protruding and/or voluminous parts, these can come into contact with the drive unit, damaging the article and blocking the movement of the conveyor member.
A solution is also known, again for example from WO-A-2015/008173, in which the conveyor member is provided with a plurality of sliding elements, usually rollers, disposed in the guide cavity to facilitate the sliding of the conveyor member. The sliding elements are located in direct correspondence with the aperture of the guide cavity and the drive wheel is usually toothed, to interact with apertures made in the conveyor member and between the sliding elements. However, this configuration is subject to frequent blockages. Furthermore, this solution too provides that the drive unit is positioned in direct proximity to the aperture of the guide cavity, causing problems of potential danger for users, and problems of blockages.
There is therefore a need to perfect the state of the art and make available an apparatus for moving articles that overcomes at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a movement apparatus that is safe.
Another purpose of the present invention is to obtain a movement apparatus that is efficient, that is, that can considerably reduce the risk of blockages.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.